Kenfrost Homes caught up with landscaping supervisor Jason Harrip on how the Vistas at Redlynch parkland took shape and how they navigated the challenges of creating the largest park we have built to date in our estates!
1. What struck you about the design for the park at Vistas at Redlynch?
It did not look like the usual thing that we would do. It was completely different, the first thing we wanted to do was make the playground the focal point. I worked with Joseph Corbin the landscape architect and let him know certain elements that we wanted and then gave him creative license to get to work designing the park. The first point is that there is a gradient of the land so there [at the play area] is 1200mm fall or slope to deal with. We had to be able to work that in via the stairs that connected the 2 levels.
2. Is this the largest park we have built in our estates?
As far as play areas we have built in the past, it’s many times bigger than what we have done before. Due to the normal constraints of building a communal space in a relatively small subdivision [136 Lots] the park is normally proportional to the size of the estate, but this has completely flipped the script and this one I felt we had the green light to go to town on it! I think it’s important that subdivisions provide the large space for families and kids to run around and kick a footy. I think it gives way to more interaction with other kids in the neighbourhood, so it enhances social interaction amongst the community.
3. Do you think the community interaction benefit was a purposeful element to provide in the planning stage?
Yeah for sure, and you enhance that side of things by adding a shelter and gazebo picnic area. As soon as you do that you create a meeting place for families. Parents in particular use it a lot and it gives them an ability to base themselves as the kids run around for an hour, they can use it as a place to meet and greet and relax.
4. The shape of the park is very smooth, windy, and aesthetically pleasing. Did you like the way it turned out?
Yes, so you could either go with a straight-line design used in modern architecture and in areas that are a lot more urban so being out there in that area that has scenic hillsides and more of a rural feel I think the flowing lines of the park worked really well with the backdrop. I think the path itself works great as a connector for all of this and the fact that it flows throughout all of these areas is one of the real highlights because not only is it an ‘all abilities’ path, it just works well aesthetically and from a design point of view as it flows right throughout the whole park and also takes you to the kick-about areas as well.
5. How does the basketball half court anchor that end of the park?
One of the things with a basketball court being a rectangular shape is that it’s really hard to incorporate into something that flows really well. The idea with this one is that we have still fit the half court in there, but we’ve worked in such a way that works with the curved lines and tucked into the corner off the hilly amphitheatre area and gives people somewhere to sit with that vantage point of looking out over the court and the park.
6. How does the yoga / wellness area stay connected with the rest of the park?
When I spoke to the architect the trees planted in the circular shape in the lower corner of the grassed space are used for shade but also as a gentle barrier that creates another ‘room’ or another space that could be ideal for wellness activities or just a space to congregate and sit.
7. Does the fitness node get used much?
We are restricted with fitness equipment with moving parts in this type of category park so I wasn’t sure if it would be used much but I have seen people bring exercise bands to wrap around the equipment so I think there’s a big push at the moment from the fitness industry for slow based movement and using your own body weight. It’s getting a lot of use and I think it’s come out of covid with a lot of online exercises available now using bands as resistance rather than free weights and bench pressing etc. The fitness node is predominantly used by adults which makes them feel it’s their own area which works well.
8. What decisions had to be made for the trees and gardens for the park?
We will notice in the next 5 years some of those trees really starting to develop and grow a nice crown. At the moment it is quite small and you are seeing that at it’s infancy being about 2 years old and grown from a tube stock but as time goes on you’ll start seeing some of those design elements come into fruition and provide some real canopies that will give people some shade from the sun. Fully established ‘ex-ground trees’ are done on really high budgets that need immediate impact but that comes with rooting problems in a cyclone areas. These trees planted are young and will get used to their environment better and they’ll be rooted really well and establish a great look for years to come.
9. How were the flowers and colour selections decided for the park?
It’s always a little bit tricky as a lot of the colour you get in the tropics can be quite bushy and may be high maintenance which is not ideal for this kind of scenario. It’s getting that balance of finding something that can be trimmed and kept tidy or a bush or a shrub that flowers that still have a lot of colour. We can do that with several plants but it just means you miss out on some of the traditional colours like your oranges and your reds which we associate with things like gingers, alpinias, red torch and all that sort of stuff.
10. It’s all finished now. What’s your thoughts on how it all finished up?
I think it went really well, I’m really proud of how it turned out. It was such a large area for us as a team to deal with and perhaps a little overwhelming in certain parts at the start because of the sheer size we were working with and having different levels. Drainage was a massive consideration early on so we weren’t damming it up behind walls etc so that was major element to tackle. Considering we went through a wet season and weren’t held up in any major way was a credit to the team. The guys from the playground company they were really good. The structure formed a lot of how that area was to look visually so once that was up it was really cool to see how the area was taking shape. Now we are at a point where the lawn is fully established, the trees are taking hold, all the gardens in particular in front of the wall are really starting to take off!
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